1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is in the technical field of firearm recoil reducers and recoil stabilizers with compound deflectors for multifaceted redirection of firearm muzzle blasts in order to minimize recoil and stabilize the firearm while firing. More particularly, the present invention relates to recoil-reducing and recoil-stabilizing firearm muzzle brakes.
2. Description of Related Art
Firearm muzzle brakes, or compensators, have long been known in the art. They are devices attached to or integral with the barrel of a firearm, generally at the barrel's muzzle, which are designed so as to redirect the muzzle blast in order to reduce or control the effect of the recoil and/or lessen unwanted movement of the barrel by helping to stabilize the muzzle while firing. If uncorrected, these recoil effects may cause inaccuracies in the targeting of the firearm.
Such muzzle brakes are generally constructed so as to provide for an alternative exit of propellant gases, usually in the form of holes or channels positioned at some angle to the bore of the barrel, to compensate for the tendency of the muzzle to move upward when firing. These holes or channels are designed to exhaust propellant gases in a direction that is generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of a firearm barrel. An example of a muzzle brake with multi-faceted muzzle blast redirectors can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 6,526,698, albeit intended for different uses than the present invention.
In other technical fields, flash suppressors are devices which are attached to the muzzle of a firearm and are designed to reduce the visible signature of expanding gases visible to the shooter. These gases, visible as a flash, are distracting to the shooter and may be temporarily blinding in low-light conditions. Additionally, night vision devices of the type now commonly used by the military may be rendered temporarily inoperable as a result of the short-term saturation of the light sensor mechanism in such night vision devices.
Flash suppressors are generally designed with a series of vent channels that allow propellant gases to exit the barrel of the firearm in a controlled fashion and over a large surface area, thereby dissipating the flash which would otherwise be present from concentrated gases exiting the muzzle end of a barrel behind the projectile at firing. These vent channels, likewise, generally vent propellant gases in a direction that is approximately perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of a firearm barrel.
Both commercially available muzzle brakes as well as many flash suppressors generally function, in part, by exhausting propellant gases to the surrounding atmosphere immediately prior to their exit from the muzzle of a firearm barrel or the attached muzzle brake or suppressor device. This is accomplished by ports or channels either integral with the muzzle end of a barrel or as a unit attached to the muzzle end of a barrel. As a projectile passes through the muzzle brake or flash suppressor, the propellant gases contained behind it are vented through these holes, ports, or channels in an attempt to produce the relative desired effects of controlling muzzle flash, reducing felt recoil, and stabilizing the muzzle at the point of aim. This venting to the surrounding atmosphere is typically done through said holes, ports, or channels at some angle up to perpendicular to the firearm barrel. This exhaust may be visible to the shooter and can temporarily blind associated night vision optics.
Additionally, the effective diameter of commercially available muzzle brakes, suppressors, or compensators, is generally much larger than the diameter of the projectile that is propelled through it, resulting in an inefficient performance of these devices. What is greatly needed is a muzzle brake and flash suppressor which is effective at reducing felt recoil and stabilizing the muzzle. Such a device would ideally have an effective inner diameter as close to the diameter of the projectile being discharged through it in order to provide for maximum effectiveness of the device. Many other benefits, objects and the like will be evident to those of skill in the art as they review these descriptions and put them into practice.